Fastest Known Podcast

April 28, 2022, 5:55 pm: Ella Bredthauer reached Springer Mountain, the terminus of the Benton MacKaye trail. Ella’s shuttle, which she had scheduled before setting off on the trail eight days before, arrived five minutes later – right on time.

Toxic water, wind storms, poisonous gas – Death Valley lives up to its name. Or at least that’s what Cameron Hummels learned while attempting the 160-mile Death Valley North to South Crossing in February. 

Last fall, Art Brody set the unsupported record on the Arizona Trail. Yes, the unsupported record. This means he traversed over 800 miles of desert, mountains, and canyons with absolutely no outside help. No trail magic beer. No water from caches. No food resupplies, or the reassurance of picking up new gear if something breaks. He even had to pack out all of his trash.

The hurdles associated with this unsupported attempt began before Art even started. Just to step foot on the trail, Art had to shoulder his 87-pound pack.  

It’s no secret that the FKT craze has skyrocketed over the past few years. What started as a niche concept relegated to the most quirky of already quirky mountaineers and thru-hikers has spread to every corner of the earth, garnering mainstream attention and sponsor support along the way. While the FKT community remains objectively fringe and tight-knit, it’s also somewhat unrecognizable from the obscure motley crew it once was. 

You’re in for a treat this week with not one but two AT record holders! Fresh off her Pinhoti Trail self-supported record, Liz “Mercury” Derstine sits down with host Heather “Anish” Anderson to talk all things record-breaking on the east coast. Liz delves into why she was more intimidated by the 348-mile Pinhoti Trail through Alabama and Georgia than by embarking on the entire Appalachian Trail. She dishes out the challenges she faced on the Pinhoti Trail, and how she managed to surmount them to break Katherine Baird’s self-supported record by three days.

We’ve got a juicy episode for you today. Host Heather Anderson catches up with Witt Wisebram, who’s going after the self-supported FKT on the Pacific Crest Trail (aka PCT)… a record currently held by Heather herself. Will Heather dish out all of her secrets? Tune in to find out!

Welcome to the brand new iteration of the FKT Podcast, hosted by the one and only Heather “Anish” Anderson! As a record-setter on the Pacific Crest Trail, Appalachian Trail, and Triple Crown of Thru-Hiking, Heather brings a trove of insight to share with you about what goes into pushing ourselves to the limit. And she harnesses her gift as an author and speaker to guide us on a journey into the heart and soul of this sport. In this episode, get to know the human behind the records and books.

BIG NEWS:  We have sold Fastest Known Time to Outside Inc, the publisher of iconic magazines such as Trail Runner, Climbing, Backpacker and of course Outside.  Buzz, Peter and Jeff are very happy with what we created, and are very grateful to all of you that have cared and supported our work so that it is now an integral part of the sport of running, utilized by a worldwide community.  

YOU asked and the experts answered! Re-listen to this episode from a little over a year ago where Andrew Skurka and Mary Cochenour answer listeners' gear questions on a very wide variety of applications.

Original Show Notes

These are just some of the questions from our listeners:

What type of sun protection is best?

"I'm a fan of covering up" - Mary

"A hooded shirt is the way to go" - Andrew

How many times have you heard bad training advice?  Right; there's a lot of it.  Here's a quick list, plus some (hopefully) good advice as well.

More is Better.  
Maybe not - without rest and recovery, the stress of training just makes you tired instead of creating an adaptive response.

Just Run.
Most other sports emphasises technique, while some runners just run a lot - cardiovascular training is imperative, but poor form can lead to injuries and is inefficient.